Normandy Nessie?
Posted by: Loren Coleman on October 9th, 2009
The following “letter to the editor” was published in the Tampa Bay Newspapers, Florida.
Editor:
At the risk of having everyone think I have lost it, gone bonkers or whatever, I must share this visual sighting with everyone since it has happened two times now.The last time was a week ago and it came out of the water further than previously and I could estimate the girth that came out of the water at 12 to 15 inches in diameter.
It continued its roll seemingly for a long time and it had to be 12 to 15 feet in length judging by the roll time. It was brown on top with mottled brown and yellow lower side. It finally flipped its tail before disappearing and it was a flat, lamprey like vertical caudal fin an estimated 9 to 10 inches maximum flare tapering to a point. I never saw the head and there was no dorsal fin nor pectoral fins visible.
I have seen many porpoise almost daily here that swim up and down the canal usually in pairs and this was NOT a porpoise, no way!
After the first sighting I thought it might be a huge snake (python like in the Glades) that someone turned loose, escaped or whatever because it did not roll as high out of the water so the size (girth) was not real evident although it was the same color on back and sides from what I could see. It did not flip its tail that time so the weird shaped caudal fin was not visible.
I am sure glad that I told Bet about the sightings so the little guys in the white jackets don’t come for me. She believes me though it sounds a bit far out! LOL!
I see people in their wee kayaks paddling up and down the canal and think about how they could be a snack for the Normandy Nessie! LOL!
I am dead serious and this is not a spoof, joke or ruse. From the size of this thing it could pose a real danger to people and small animals.
Russell Sittloh
Madeira Beach
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009.
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Loren Coleman no longer writes for Cryptomundo. His archived posts remain here at Cryptomundo.
Of course it’s not a spoof, joke, or ruse.
There are two species of moray that reach that size frame, Strophidon sathete and Gymnothorax javanicus, although as both are Indo-Pacific species the animal here mentioned would have to be an escapee or a release. Either could live quite happily in such an environment, especially if sufficient prey was available.
If the snake theory sounds weak or implausible, a moray could well be a possible suspect.
My first thought was some kind of eel, but after a little research I came to the same conclusion as Roddy. This would definitely be out of the norm for one of the bigger eels. There is a possiblity that it could be a Yellow Sea Snake. While this is not their normal habitat, I am sure that it, like many other animals of late, could wander this far north and some of them such as the Hydrophis spiralis can, though highly unlikely, reach up to 3 meters, or about 10 ft. I know the description is larger, but when I think back on things that I feared or marvelled at once upon a time they seemed bigger as well. I must admit that the idea of an actual sea monster sounds so much more… Fun.
Swnoel:
Looks like somebody’s made up their mind without any hesitation, hasn’t it?
Anyway—
Could be a moray indeed. Would need more description and information—maybe a look at the area in question. Keepinf my mind open, though.
Possibly, American Conger eel?